Ruedesheim or Bacharach?

"The main reason I would consider Ruedesheim over Bacharach is that the Rhein River trip is better started at the beginning of the romantic Rhein rather than in the middle. ". Having been on the "Romantic Rhein", I would not consider Rüdesheim to Bacharach a very important part. I would consider the "Romantic Rhein" to start in Bacharach. To me, the best part for a boat cruise is Bacharach to St. Goar, in that direction. I might include St. Goar to Boppard.

Rüdesheim, though charming looking, is about as touristy as you can get. Swarms of bus tourists stop here every day, to the point that you can't even get down the streets. As soon as the weather is ok, this occurs. That is the main reason why I would pick another town. Have you thought about Ober-Wesel? Or even the neighborhing town to Rüdesheim, Assmanshausen? All the towns along the Rhine have a charming look to them, so you really can't go wrong. Have a look at this website to see if there is another town that will fit your interests. http://www.loreleyvalley.com/

I think that even if R'heim were the best place to start the boat ride, that's not the greatest reason to stay there - you'll have to arrange transportation either to or from the boat back to your base anyway. It's probably wiser to a town based on the ease of access to other towns you might visit. Are you going to Marksburg Castle in Braubach and/or Rheinfels in St. Goar? Do you plan to daytrip up the Mosel River to Cochem, Trier, or Burg Eltz? You might want to stay in one of those towns, or consider how you will reach them most easily. Not every town has a ferry or a train station near the dock on the other side. Also. the rail daypass options may play a roll. Stay in Kaub or Oberwesel or elsewhere to the north, and those cheap 1- or 3-day VRM railpasses can be sued to explore the region;

I stayed in Rudesheim in April 2009 and loved it, however I would avoid the hotels that are close to the river as trains go by there many, many times day & night and the noise is quite astounding. I dont' know how people sleep in the hotels as they are only a 2 lane road width away from the tracks. We stayed a bit away from the most touristy part, instead in the center of town, about a 10 minute walk away from the restaurant area and dock. We stayed at the Rudesheimer Hoff and enjoyed it very much. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187345-d239085-Reviews-Rudesheimer_Hof-Ruedesheim_am_Rhein_Hesse.html If you go, there is a terrific experience where you take a gondola from Rudesheim, up to a monument, then walk about 20 minutes on flat paths through a forest, then take another gondola down to the neighboring town. In that town, you pick up a boat and take it 10 minutes back to Rudesheim. It is tremendous fun, easy to do, reasonably priced (11 Euros?) it is called "circle ticket"-the views of the Rhine and the vinyards are fantastic, very picturesque. I'll never forget it. See details here: http://goo.gl/fBtcD Let me know if I can help you or if you want details. SuzieeQQ

For Ruedesheim accommodations, you can check the town's website: www.ruedesheim.de There are private rooms and hotels listed there. When we were in Ruedesheim this past October, I noticed that there is an Abbey above the town in the vineyards. It's the Benedictine Abbey of St. Hildegard. On their website, they indicate they rent double rooms with bath in a new wing of their abbey. I just saw it listed on trip advisor and it received an excellent review. In Bacharach, we just recently stayed at Pension Malerwinkel which is just outside the turm and away from the train tracks. From here you can walk into town. They also have a large parking lot. We always have dinner in town at Cafe Restaurant Rusticana. It's a bit worn inside, however, they have great food at very good prices. Great Apfel Strudel, also. Afterwards, or before, you can walk down the street and enjoy tasting wine at one of the local wineries. Have fun along the Rhine. We lived in this area for three years and miss it.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. We have decided to stay in Bacharach and I have made reservations at the Hotel Kranenturm. The reviews it has received has been excellent and since we are traveling via train and other public transportation, I figure we can walk from the station to this hotel. If you have any other suggestions on what we should do during our two day stay, I would appreciate it.

You have made what would be my preferred choice. A couple things I would do is enjoy a glass of wine up at the castle (its a bit of a walk but the views are awesome). I'd also train up to St Goar for a bit as its also a very cute town and its just a few minutes by train. The beauty of this area is amazing! Have a great trip.